


Risk it all

by KristiLynn



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Noir, Gen, Mention of Character Death, Summer Nights, The Agent Carter Ficathon: These Summer Nights, flirting but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-09
Updated: 2016-07-09
Packaged: 2018-07-22 01:12:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7412653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KristiLynn/pseuds/KristiLynn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peggy spotted a girl in trouble, and that pulls her into a night she'll never forget. {modern au}</p>
            </blockquote>





	Risk it all

**Author's Note:**

> Apparently this is my 100th work on Ao3!

Peggy Carter tapped her foot impatiently as she checked her watch again. 45 minutes. It wasn’t the latest Howard had ever been but it certainly was long enough to make her mad. She pulled out her phone and was about to call him and let him know if he wasn’t there in ten minutes she was leaving when she spotted a young woman on the street with a man on each arm. 

There was something about this situation that just didn’t seem right to Peggy and when the woman tried to make a break for it she knew her instincts were correct. She rushed out of the restaurant and by the time she got to the woman one of the two men had her by the hair and the other had his hand under her chin squeezing her face. 

“Do you understand how much trouble you’re in little girl?” The shorter of the two men said as Peggy rushed up to them.

“Hey!” She shouted and all three of the strangers looked at her. 

The men stood there and for a moment Peggy thought they were about to come after her too. She balled her hands into fists, straightened her back and prepared herself for them. But they didn’t come close. Instead the taller one pushed the woman onto the ground and they both took off. 

“Are you okay?” Peggy asked as she crouched down by the woman. The woman didn’t answer, instead she looked around as if she was waiting for a third party to come out of the shadows and grab them. “My name’s Peggy. What’s yours?” Tears began to fill the woman’s eyes but she continued to stay quiet. “It’s okay. They’re gone. You’re going to be okay now.”

The woman began to laugh as tears streamed down her face. “Look English,” she said wiping her face with the back of her hand. “I understand that you think you were doing the right thing, but I’m pretty sure you just signed my death warrant.”  
Peggy helped the woman to her feet. “What do you mean?”

“It doesn’t matter. We just need to leave before they come back with guys who are bigger and tougher than they were.”

“Well let me give you a ride.” Peggy reached into her pocket & realized it was empty. “I must have left my keys on the table. I’ll just be a second–”

“No!” The woman grabbed her wrist. “Don’t you get it? You cannot go back in there.”

“Why not?”

“Fisk owns this place. Those were his guys. We cannot go back in there.”

“Fisk? Wilson Fisk?” Whatever trouble this girl was in it was far bigger than Peggy had assumed. “Okay.” She took the girl’s hand. “We need to start walking now.”

They started off down the street & Peggy began making a list in her head. At this moment she had on her was:her phone, I.D., credit card (thank God for whoever invented wallet phone cases) and a hair pick that could be used as a weapon if necessary. But should they meet back up with Fisks men none of that would help her. They had to get off the street until she could think of a plan. 

 

\---

 

They walked a few more blocks and then Peggy pulled the woman into a small store on the corner. It wasn’t the type of store that she would usually stop at in this situation but they needed a new change of clothes and fast so it would have to do.

“Just start pulling clothes that are in your size,” Peggy whispered as she started to flip through the rack of dresses.

“What are we doing?” 

“We need to change. Fisk has men on every block so he’s bound to find us. But we’re not going to make it easy for him.”

“Can I ask you a question?” 

“Ask away.” 

“Why are you helping me? People walked right past me and those guys, but not you.Not only did you come to my rescue but you stayed with me. Why? ”

Peggy sighed. That was a question she wasn’t ready to fully answer yet. “You want the easy answer? I don’t want to see Wilson Fisk hurt anyone else.” 

“So he screwed your life too?”

“To put it lightly.” 

The women continued to flip through the rack. “I’m Angie by the way.” The stranger--Angie-- said as she pulled a dress off the rack. “What do you think of this one?”

“Can I help you ladies?” A salesgirl asked walking up to the. 

“Oh my god, yes!” Peggy said dropping her accent and replacing it with a Brooklyn one. “We got invited by Howard Stark to see the S.H.I.E.L.D. concert tonight. Now I’m in it just for the tickets but this girl,” she placed her hand on Angie’s shoulder, “she’s like in love with Stark. And we’re not really dressed for a date with a celebrity. So we need to find something to wear and get out of here right away.” 

“S.H.I.E.L.D. is like my favorite band. I cannot believe that you are going, tickets sold out in like seconds.”

“Right! So yeah, we need to meet up with him fast before he comes to his sense. Is it cool if we wear the clothes out.” 

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Are you guys ready to start trying stuff on?” 

 

\---

 

They bought the first dresses that fit and headed out to catch a cab. Peggy felt self-conscious in the her outfit, she wasn’t used to wearing something with such little fabric, and if she was able to get her hands on some kind of weapon there was going to be no way she could hide it. Angie on the other hand looked like she was born to wear a dress like that, and that she wore one often. 

“So what was that back there?” Angie asked as Peggy stuck out her hand to flag down a cab. “You became a completely different person before I had a chance to blink.” 

“It's what I do.”

“Lie?” 

“I’m a private investigator. I often find myself in situations that require me to make up stories in a hurry. So I’ve gotten really good at it.” 

“A P.I.? I thought that was only a job in the movies.”

“Believe it or not we actually exist. But believe me the job’s not as exciting as films make it out to be.” A cab pulled up and they got in. “East 36th and Lexington please,” Peggy told the cabbie and then turned to Angie. “So what do you do?” 

“I was a waitress but considering my boss tried to have me killed tonight I think it’s safe to say that I’m unemployed.”

“You worked there? At the restaurant? ” 

“I did.” Angie sighed. “But not by choice.”

“How so?”

“My brother borrowed some money to pay for me to go to school. He got behind on his payments and suddenly we had two choices: either I go to work for Fisk until the debt was paid or my brother died and all was forgotten.”

“Dare I ask how much he still owes?”

“We lost count. Interest is a bitch.” Angie looked out the window. “I bet you think I’m stupid don’t you?”

Peggy was about to tell her that she would have done the same thing in her situation. If she had the choice she’d go to hell herself to save her brother’s life. But instead she simply said, “You chose right.” 

Suddenly Peggy’s phone began to ring and when she looked down at it she saw Howard’s face filling the screen. 

“Shit,” she whispered to herself. She’d forgotten all about him. 

“Is that Howard Stark? You actually know Howard Stark?”

“Shh,” Peggy whispered as she answered the phone, “Howard!” 

“Pegs! I know I’m beyond late but I’m leaving the office right now and I promise you the most expensive bottle of wine to make up for it.”

“No.”

“Okay, I’ll pay for your dinner too. You drive a hard bargain Peggy Carter.” 

“Howard listen to me. You cannot go--” It was at that moment that Peggy happened to looked in the cab’s rear-view mirror and realized that the same police car had been following them since they got in the cab. She should have realized it sooner.

“Peggy are you still there?” 

“Hold on.” She tapped on the partition, “Change on plans,” she told the driver. “I need you to take us to--” she paused trying to figure out where would be the closest place to hide out. “The Red Room. You know where that is?” 

“Yeah.” The driver looked back at her. “You sure you that’s where you want to go? You guys aren’t their usual demo.” 

“Just drive.” She placed the phone back against her ear. “Howard listen to me.I need you to get Jarvis to pick me at the Red Room okay?” 

“What’s going on Peg?”

“I’ll tell you all about it when I see you.” 

“Is everything okay?” Angie asked. 

“Just keep an eye on me and if I say run you run okay?” 

 

\---

 

Peggy and Angie walked up to the club and the bouncer at the door looked away from the blonde he was flirting with and let out a gruff chuckle. “Now what brings a sweet little thing like you to my side of town?

"Hey Bobby.” Peggy leaned against him and ran her hand up his chest. “You want to let me in? I need to see her.”

“She’s not here.”

“She’s always here.”

“Not tonight.”

Peggy leaned closer. “Well how about you let us take a look for ourselves and I promise that I won’t tell your pregnant wife about,” she pointed to the blonde, “that sweet little thing.”

“You’re a bitch you know that?” He said opening the door.

“Just keep remembering that Bobby.” She poked his chest with her finger and then turned to the blonde. “Believe me you can do better.” 

Peggy took Angie by the hand and lead her into the club. She had heard rumblings about this place, especially from those who came to the restaurant, but she’d never gotten to experience it for herself. It was nothing like she had imagined and as Peggy pulled her through the crowd and down not one of two sets of stairs as if this was Dante’s Inferno and they were descending down to hell. 

The finally made it onto the ground floor and the crowd of people cheering on the boxing match that was going on in the center. Angie was instantly hit with the scent of blood and sweat. That along with the noise was almost too much for Angie to handle. 

Peggy stopped one of the shot girls and while she whispering something in her ear Angie leaned over and tried to take a shot off the tray but was quickly stopped by Peggy’s hand. 

“I need a drink or something.” Angie shouted.

“Not here,” Peggy shouted back as she scanned the room. “Come on.” 

Peggy took her hand again and lead her to the other side of the room, through a door with a sign that read “Employees Only” down a hallway and then through another door that read “Office”. 

Peggy shut the door and Angie collapsed onto a small couch. 

“You okay?” Peggy asked.

“I--I don’t--” Angie stumbled on her words. “I think this day is starting to get to me.”

“I get it.” Peggy grabbed a glass and bottle of scotch from the wet bar behind the desk and began to pour. “You’ve been through a lot.” Peggy handed her the glass and then took a seat on the edge of the desk. 

“What is this place? Because it’s not like any club I’ve ever been too before.”

“It...it’s something else,” Peggy told her. “In opened in the 70’s and it was where the rich and powerful came to get their jollies off whether that was sex, drugs or violence. The police turned a blind eye to the goings on here, even when they started hiring underage girls. Then about a decade ago an employee brought some evidence to the media about what exactly was going on and the police couldn’t ignore it anymore. They arrested everyone involved and it was going to be torn down and turned into a high rise until someone came in last minute and bought it.”

“Who? Who would want to keep this place open?” 

Just then the door opened and in walked the owner. “Why, I feel my ears burning,” She laughed and then stuck her hand out at Angie. “Dottie Underwood.” 

“Hi,” Angie shook her hand timidly.

“Tell me Peggy did I miss the part where you talk about how I went to the media and expose the NYPD for the corrupt assholes that they are?” 

“They’re not all corrupt.” 

“No, you’re probably right. But I’ll place money that the one’s that are filling my club and scaring my customers are. Is that why you’re here?”

Peggy nodded her head. “My guess is that they’re on Fisk’s payroll. He sent some guys after Angie earlier tonight.” 

“You’re probably right. I know for a fact that Cap is working with him so it’s not a stretch to think the others are too.”

Peggy stood up and walked over to Dottie. “Don’t call him that.”

“Oh right, that’s what you used to call–”

“Does Jack know we’re in here?”

“No. And don’t worry I told the staff if anyone lets him know where you are they’re fired.”

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. You know I’ve got your back. Among other things.” She turned to Angie “Now the real question is what kind of trouble did you get into that made Wilson Fisk go after you?”

“You don’t have to answer that,” Peggy said.

“Are you her lawyer now?” Dottie laughed. 

Angie looked back and forth at the two women and then felt the words come spilling out. “I stole some files. I thought it was my way out.” She shook her head. “It was stupid. I don’t even know what was in the files.”

“Where are the files now?” Dottie asked. 

“My apartment. They’re locked up.” 

Peggy and Dottie looked at each other. “Would you mind…” Peggy began and Dottie smiled at her.

Peggy’s phone buzzed and she looked down at it while Dottie began questioning Angie,“What kind of lock?”

“It’s a regular safe lock.”

“What’s the combination?” 

Angie shrugged. “I was going to just have a locksmith come and open it when I decided what I was going to do.”

“Well that’s stupid. You can open it yourself depending on the kind of safe.”

“It”s a regular kind. I don’t know, it came with the apartment.”

Dottie nodded her head. “I can work with that.”

“Sorry to break this up but we have to go,” Peggy said. “Jarvis is here.”

“Oh Jarvis!” Dottie exclaimed. How is he?” 

“His shoulder is still sore from the last time you paid us a visit.” 

“Well he shouldn’t have surprised me.” 

“You broke into his --” Peggy shook her head. “Never mind. We need to go.”

“I’ll call you when I get the files.”

“Thank you. And stay safe.”

“That’s cute.” Dottie patted Peggy’s cheek. “You and I both know that I can handle myself.”

Peggy and Angie snuck out through the loading dock and were shocked to find that it had started to rain while they were inside. 

“This is just the best way to end the night,” Peggy grumbled to herself as she tried to spot Jarvis’s car. 

“I don’t think I’ve said it yet but thank you. For everything.”

“You can thank me when we get those files and we get them into the right hands.” Jarvis flashed his headlights. “There he is.” 

Peggy started to take off but Angie grabbed her arm. “What are you talking about? Who are we giving the files to?”

“I have a friend, he’s a detective. He can help us.” 

“We were just hiding from the cops and now you want me to trust one?” 

Peggy brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face. “He is the only one who we can trust. Please believe me.” 

Jarvis pulled up beside the girls and rolled down the passenger's side window. “Is everything alright?” 

“I don’t know. Is it?” Peggy asked. 

Angie was quiet, the rain causing chills to go up her spine. Then finally she said, “Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Well if you wouldn’t mind getting into the car before you get even more wet.”

 

\---

 

“Peggy!” Howard exclaimed jumping up from his desk as she and Angie walked into his office. “And may I say if I knew you would be dressed like this I would not have been late.”

“Don’t start.”

“What’s got you in a mood?” 

“Did you know that Wilson Fisk owned that restaurant?” A serious expression spread across Howard’s face. “You did, didn’t you?” 

“I heard rumors.” Peggy rolled her eyes and Howard continued, “I wanted to help! This is the first lead we’ve gotten in months and I wanted to help!”

“This isn’t your battle!” 

“But it’s hers?” For the first time since they walked into the office Howard called attention to the new addition to their group. “Why’s she letting you be a part of this?” 

“Fisk tried to kill me tonight,” Angie told him trying to sound calm, like being interrogated by one of the greatest, and richest, minds of the last 50 years was something that happened to her every day. Like any of this happened to her everyday. 

“Oh.”

Peggy took a seat on the edge of Howard’s desk. “She’s got files that could incriminate Fisk. Dottie’s picking them up. When she has them I’m going to call Daniel and arrange a meet up.”

“Dottie? Dottie Undewood?” Jarvis exclaimed. “You can’t be serious.”

Howard agreed, “That girl is ten pounds of crazy in a five pound bag. You can’t trust her with something this important.”

“Well I am. It’s done.” 

Peggy didn’t wait for anyone to to say another word. She just stood up and silently walked out the door. 

 

\----

 

After leaving Howard’s office Peggy wandered around until she came to her favorite spot in the building. At the end of a long dead end hallway was a set of windows that went all the way to the ceiling and a series of window seats. Peggy would come and sit here, just staring at the city below whenever she had something to think about or something she didn’t want to think about.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting here this time, watching the rainfall and the lightning but she was brought back to reality by Angie’s voice, “There you are.”

Peggy smiled at her. “You found me.” 

“I brought you a robe. Did you know this place has a gym and a locker room?” 

“I do know that. I was the one who tried to talk Howard out of it. “

Angie sat down on the window seat and handed Peggy a robe. “So, I think I’m starting to realize just how screwed up this night has been.” 

“Yeah, but think about what a great story this will be one day.”

“Oh yeah,” Angie chuckled. “I’m sure my classmates at Julliard will love hearing about how I was almost killed in an alley but saved at the last minute by a beautiful woman. Maybe they’d turn it into a movie.” She rolled her eyes.

“Sounds like a story I’d watch.” 

Angie smiled to herself and then tentatively she asked, “Speaking of stories, what’s yours?” Peggy didn’t say anything. “Come on. I told you mine.”

Peggy sighed and leaned against the window. “I used to be a cop.”

“Used to?”

“I was dating the Captain. He and I, we started looking into Fisk and,” Peggy got quiet.

“Never mind. You don’t have to–”

“No. It’s okay.” Peggy sat up, and tucked her legs under her. “Some drugs went missing from evidence and the next thing I know they’re searching my stuff where they conveniently find it.”

“But your boyfriend got you out?”

Peggy shook her head. “I go home and there’s Steve…dead in bed. The Coroner said he overdosed which is impossible and anyone who really knew him would tell you that. But everyone else just bought it because if I was bad news so was he.” 

“What happened? Did you clear his name?”

“No. I managed to get my charges dropped thanks to Howard’s very expensive lawyers but Steve never got. People hear his name and they they think the worst. And I will always blame Wilson Fisk for that.” 

 

\---

 

The next morning Peggy, Angie and Howard sat in the stairwell of Stark Enterprises, sipping coffee and waiting for Jarvis to arrive with Detective Sousa. 

“Jarvis said they were leaving the precinct right?” Peggy asked. 

“Yes.” Howard said not looking up from the game he was playing on his phone.

“So where are they?”

“It’s okay.” Angie rubbed her knee. “I’m sure they’ll be here soon.” 

And then, as if on cue Jarvis’s car pulled up and he and Daniel got out. 

“What’s so important that I had to come here?”

“Hello Daniel.” Peggy smiled.

“Peggy.” Daniel smiled back. “What’s going on?” 

Peggy filled Daniel in on everything starting with the events of the previous night and going all the way back to the day Steve died. 

Daniel pursed his lips and nodded his head. Then, after a moment, he told her, “That sounds insane you realize that right?” 

“Daniel.”

“But you believe it. So I believe it. But I need proof.” 

“Well look at this,” Dottie called out as she walked into the parking garage. “Seems I’m late to the party as always aren’t I?” 

Angie rolled her eyes. “You always have to make a dramatic entrance don’t you?

“Now Peggy play nice or I won’t share what I found at your friend's house.” Dottie pulled out a folder from her bag. 

“What’s that?” Daniel asked. 

“Evidence.” Dottie handed over the file and then pulled out three more. “I’ve got plenty to go around.” 

Daniel began to flip through the file. “There’s some damning stuff in here.” 

“Believe me now?” 

“I’m starting too.” He turned to Angie. “And you were the one to get all of this?” Angie nodded her head. “You’re a target.”

“I know.” 

“I know some people. I can get you in the program. But you’d have to go soon.

“Wait, what?” Angie turned to Peggy. “What about school? My family?.”

“I’m sure your family can come too. Angie, you’re not safe here. It’s the only choice you have.”

“Can I come back when it’s all over?” 

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Daniel said “but if that’s your choice. We can’t stop you.”

 

\----

 

Six months later:

Peggy sat behind her desk looking through her files when Jarvis placed a newspaper on desk. Fisk sentenced to life in prison, the headline read. 

"You should be proud of yourself.” 

Peggy shook her head. “I didn’t do anything.”

“We both know that’s not true.”

Jarvis started to leave but stopped at the door. “By the way there’s a women waiting for you outside.”

“That must be my ten o’clock. Send her in.” 

Peggy continued flipping through her files when the door opened and a pair of heels clicked on the floor. 

“Hey English,” The woman said and Peggy’s head instantly shot up.

“Angie?” 

Her hair was longer and darker but it was most certainly her. 

“I thought I’d stop by and say hi.”

“So you’re back?” 

Angie nodded her head. “I’ve got one semester left at school and considering it was what got me into all that trouble in the first place I knew I had to finish.” 

“I’m happy for you.” 

“I’m happy for you too.” 

“Me?”

“You cleared Steve’s name. Because of you everyone knows he was a good guy.”

“You heard about that?”

“Of course. I made Daniel keep me up to date about everything about the case.” 

“So what are your plans now? Besides school.”

“That’s kind of why I’m here.” Angie took a seat on the edge of Peggy’s desk. “I need a job.”

“And you want to work for me?”

“Yeah. The way I see it we made a pretty good team last time we were together.” 

“We did.” Peggy propped her legs up on her desk and leaned back. “I can do three days a week. You come in and interview potential clients, file papers, the usual duties an assistant would do.”

“I can work with that.” 

“Good. You start tomorrow.”

“Sure thing Boss.”


End file.
